Bill Clinton in Private Meeting With Saudi King

RIYADH - Former US president Bill Clinton was in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday for private meetings with King Abdullah and other Saudi officials, the information ministry said.

Clinton arrived in Riyadh late Tuesday and was greeted by Information Minister Abdul Aziz Khoja and US Ambassador James Smith, said ministry spokesman Abdul Rahman al-Hazzaa.

"He arrived late yesterday and is expected to meet the king this afternoon," Hazzaa told AFP.

The nature of Clinton's visit was not clear.

The former president runs the New York-based William J. Clinton Foundation, which promotes and funds action on a number of current problems with global reach such as poverty, health, AIDS and climate change.

The Saudi government has been a major supporter of Clinton's post-White House activities, donating 10 million dollars to the construction of his presidential library and between 10-25 million dollars to his foundation.

Clinton, president from 1993 to 2001, is also the husband of US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who visited Saudi Arabia in February for talks on Iran and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.